The most recent data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count is out. It has insights on child-related statistics for the nation and South Dakota.

According to the report – American Indian and Alaska Native children in South Dakota live in poverty at significantly higher rates than nationally.

It says about 27% of American Indian and Alaska Native children in the United States live in poverty. That’s compared to the national rate of children at 16%.

In South Dakota that same figure for Native children aged 0-17-years-old is over 50%.

The state has slightly less children living in poverty at about 15%. That’s according to data from 2022 – the most recent on the Kids Count South Dakota website.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports ranks South Dakota 10th in the country overall in child economic well-being.

The state is slightly lower than many neighboring states like Minnesota and North Dakota.

However – South Dakota ranks 27th in child education well-being, 26th in health and 24th in family and community.

Those combined put the state 21st in the nation for overall child well-being rankings.

The report also ranks the state 44th in percentage of children aged 3-4 in school from 2018-2022. That’s 61% of South Dakota three and four-year-olds not attending pre-school.

The national average is 54% for the same age group.

The report says early education programs are a particular challenge in states with lots of rural areas.

South Dakota is one of the few states to not use state funds for pre-school education.

Playoffs wrap up this week for South Dakota high school football.

The postseason officially kicked off last month, and this week the postseason marches on to the state championships. (Nov. 14-16)

>>South Dakota high school football playoff brackets

Stick with High School on SI for all of the matchups, game times and scores throughout the 2024 high school football playoffs.

South Dakota high school football playoffs 2024 brackets

Here are the South Dakota high school football playoff brackets, with matchups and game times:

Final Round

(1) Brandon Valley vs (2) Lincoln

5 p.m. Saturday

2024SDHSAA Class 11AAA Bracket

Final Round

(2) Watertown vs (4) Riggs

7 p.m. Friday

2024 SDHSAA Class 11AA Bracket

Final Round

(1) Sioux Falls Christian vs (3) Lennox

12 p.m. Saturday

2024 SDHSAA Class 11A Bracket

Final Round

(1) Sioux Falls vs (2) Winner

2 p.m. Friday

2024 SDHSAA Class 11B Bracket

Final Round

(1) Parkston vs (2) Hamilton

7 p.m. Thursday

2024 Class 9AA Bracket

Final Round

(2) Howard vs (4) Wolsey-Wessington

10 a.m. Friday

2024 Class 9A Bracket

Final Round

(2) Faulkton vs (5) Sully Buttes

11 a.m. Thursday

2024 Class 9B Bracket

2024 Class All Nations A Bracket

2024 Class All Nations B Bracket

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Lawmakers on the state’s budget-setting committee gave 24 roses Thursday to the longest-serving female member of the South Dakota Legislature.

Sen. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton, was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 2000. She’s bounced back and forth between the House and Senate over the years, and has been a member of the Joint Appropriations Committee for more than a decade. The committee’s gift was one flower for each year of her service.

South Dakota breaks record for number of women elected to the state Legislature

Hunhoff lost her primary race for reelection by 96 votes in June to challenger Lauren Nelson, who went on to victory in the general election.

Thursday morning’s meeting of the Joint Appropriations Committee in Pierre, which she co-chairs, comes near the end of her time as a lawmaker. Several other members of the committee thanked Hunhoff for her commitment to budgetary oversight and praised her for helping newer lawmakers navigate the workings of legislating during her historic run of service.

Tony Venhuizen, a Sioux Falls Republican representative who blogs about the history of state government, noted that no other female lawmaker has served 20 years, let alone 24.

“I don’t need to get into too many details, but I will say that during her first year in the Legislature, I was a Senate page,” Venhuizen said.

Hunhoff’s voice cracked with emotion as she thanked her fellow lawmakers for the flowers, which she said she liked even though “they make me think of a funeral.”

“I tried to listen, and I’ve tried to do my best,” Hunhoff said.